[09/16/09 - 12:15 PM]MTV Is Wild About "Warren the Ape"The character-driven comedy will "give viewers an uproariously colorful take on 'the celebrity reality show genre' and feature a host of celebrity cameos mixed with puppetry."

[via press release from MTV]

MTV IS WILD ABOUT "WARREN THE APE"

NETWORK GREENLIGHTS NEW SCRIPTED COMEDY SLATED FOR 2010

New York, NY (September 16, 2009) - Tony DiSanto, President of MTV Programming today announced that MTV has greenlit "Warren The Ape," the latest in a wave of new scripted series for the network. Set to air in 2010, this character-driven comedy will give viewers an uproariously colorful take on 'the celebrity reality show genre' and feature a host of celebrity cameos mixed with puppetry.

"Comedy consistently resonates with our audience and we are building a diverse slate that brings an MTV twist to the genre," said Tony DiSanto, President of Programming, MTV. "'Warren The Ape' is a live action scripted comedy that tells the tale of an ape trying to revive a career in Hollywood by any means necessary. This show truly has a unique visual style and tone as well as a creator driven voice that is fresh and exciting."

"Warren The Ape," a scripted comedy set within a fictional reality show, chronicles the trials and tribulations of a D-grade celebrity puppet. A brash, cantankerous, out-of-work actor, Warren 'The Ape' Demontague is attempting to clean up his act and scramble his way back into the Hollywood limelight. Having sampled a brief taste of success as a star on the former sitcom "Greg The Bunny," Warren's life has been in a downward spiral ever since the show got canceled. When the opportunity for his own reality show arises, Warren takes this chance to restore his celebrity status once again.

"Warren The Ape" is produced by Spencer Chinoy, Sean Baker and Dan Milano (who also portrays Warren) who serve as Executive Producers and Creators. George Plamondon and Betsy Schechter serve as Executive Producers for Picture Shack Entertainment and Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri are Executive Producers for Freestyle. Liz Gateley, Brent Haynes and George McTeague serve as the executives in charge of production for MTV.

ABOUT MTV:

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 27 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries�giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for P12-24. Online, MTV.com averaged 21.7 million monthly unique visitors during the first quarter of 2009�up +7% from the 4Q/2008. Total video streams for the first quarter of 2009 increased by 13% from 4Q/2008 and by 21% over the same time period last year. And MTV�s successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world�s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.